Orders to memorize Flashcards
even toed ungulates. Pigs peccaries, hippos, camels, mouse deer, giraffes etc. digest plant cellulose in multiple stomach chambers
Artiodactyla
Bats latin name
Chiroptera
Odd toed ungulates. Digest plant cellulose in their intestines
Perissodactyla
Primarily eat flesh
Carnivora
Single pair of continuously growing incisors
Rodentia
Hares, rabbits and pikas. Four incisors on upper jaw, herbivorous and no paw pads
Lagomorpha
Large brains, visual acuity, colour vision, shoulder girdle. Most have opposable thumbs.
Primates
Elephantidae only living family
Proposcidea
young carried in pouch
Marsupialia
Didelphimorpha
Opossums. 5 upper and 4 lower incisors
Hooved animals that bear their weight on “toes”
Ungulates
Describe the different digestion strategies in Artiodactyla and Perissodactyla
Artiodactyla digest plant material in multiple stomach chambers whereas perissodactyla digest plant material in their intestines
Largest and Smallest Bats and their sizes
Largest bat: giant golden crowned flying fox which weights 1.6 kg and has 1.7 m wings
Smallest Bat: Kitti’s hog nosed bat which is 3 cm long and has 15 cm wings
Describe bat body
have hands and fingers. Thumbs stick straight up. Fly on their hands. Long spread out digits
What is the largest order of mammals?
Rodents
What is the second largest order of mammals?
Bats
Which species/genera belong to the great apes?
Gorillas Orangutans Chipanzees Humans Bonobos
How long ago did primates arise?
18 to 55 mya
Adaptations for primates to live in trees
large brains visual acuity colour vision altered shoulder girdle for swinging dexterous hand tails opposable thumbs
What are the four genera of great apes?
Pongo
Gorilla
Pan
Homo
How many species of orangutans are there?
2
How many species of gorilla are there?
2
How many species of pan are there and what are they?
2: chimpanzees and bonobos
How many bears are there in BC?
Three
How many continents do carnivora live on?
All of them
What is the etimology of carnivora?
Carnai means flesh and vora means “to devour”
What order is canidae in?
Carnivora
Characteristics of canidae
Long muzzles Keen sense of smell Upright ears Bushy tails Teeth adapted for slicing flesh and cracking bones Long legs Non-retractable claws Coursing predators Mostly social and behave cooperatively Communicate through scent signals and vocalizations
What is the closest relative of Canis lupus familiarise?
Canis lupus (gray wolf)
What is the closest relative of Canis latrans?
Canis lupus familiaris and Canis lupus
Etimology of Artiodactyla
Artios means “even” and dactyla means divit, finger, toe, so even number of toes
Etimology of Perissodactyla
perissos means odd, dactyla means digit, finger toe, so means odd number of toes
What is the astragalus and why is it important for identification
is a diagnostic bone to classify artiodactyla and perissodactyla.
It has a pulley-like upper and lower surface, and restricts lateral movement
In Artiodactyla, it enhances hind lim flexion and extension
In perissodactyla it restricts hind limb movement
Describe the astragalus in artiodactyla
enables artiodactyla to rise hindquarters first, which makes them able to rise quickly and start running
means that they can activate their powerful hind limb muscles quickly to propel themselves forwards
Describe the astagalus in perissodactyla
it restricts hind limb movement, so they rise front end first. This slows their acceleration and vulnerability to predators if they are lying down.
What are the 10 families in the order artiodactyla?
Camelidae Tayassuidae Suidae Traguildae Moschidae Antilocapridae Giraffidae Cervidae Bovidae Hippopotamidae
Describe characteristics of ungulates
typically herbivorous
often have specialized gut bacteria to digest cellulose
Some, such as pigs, are omniverous
What are the three groups of ungulates?
Tylopoda
Suiformes
Ruminantia
What animals are in tylopoda?
Camels, llamas, guanacos, vicunas
What animals are in suiformes?
pigs, peccaries and hipps
What is a main characteristic of ruminata?
Complex, 4 chambered stomach
Describe the steps of ruminant digestion
food is gathered quickly, chewed briefly and then swallowed into the rumen
Food moves into the reticulum where bacteria break cellulose into glucose, make bacterial protein and synthesize vitamins
A ball of cut is regurgitated and chewed while the animal rests
Food moves into the omasum
Food moves into the abomasum where gastric juices are secreted to digest the food and bacteria
What is the rumen?
The first stomach chamber of ruminants
What is the reticulum?
the second stomach chamber of ruminants
What is the omasum?
The third stomach chamber of ruminants, which food goes into after its chewed as cud
What is the abomasum?
The fourth stomach chamber of ruminants, where gastric juices are secreted to digest food and bacteria
What are some advantages of ruminant digestion?
The can digest low quality plants that are undigestible for other species
The can access nutrients that would otherwise be indigestible and unavailable
The can spend a short time grazing in the open with their head down, and then do their digestion later
What is the difference between cervidae and bovidae?
Cervidae have antlers and bovidae have horns
Describe characteristics of cervidae antlers
they are only in males, except for in caribou
their antlers drop off each year after the fall rut
the antlers regrow over the summer
Describe characteristics of bovidae horns
they are on both sexes
they don’t drop off and grow continuously
They grow at different rates throughout the year, which results in annual rings for aging
Elk
Bulgling is loud vocalizations to establish dominance over other males and attract females
Short tails
while antlers growing they are covered in soft layer of velvet
Neck manes
Clearly defined rump patches
Caribou
Both sexes grow antlers C shaped antler Covered in velvet while growing Northern caribou usually smaller and whiter than southern populations Eat lichen
What is countercurrent heat exchange?
The blood vessels in their legs are close together for countercurrent heat exchange, so the blood coming back into their body isn’t cold because their feet are touching the ground
What is the smallest carnivore?
The least weasel, which is 0.1 m and 0.025 kg
What is the largest carnivore?
The southern elephant seal which is 3.7m and 4,000 kg
Which family of carnivora has the most diverse fur pattern?
Felidae
Describe the characteristics of felidae (12)
Most diverse fur pattern of all carnivore Large eyes Large, cupped ears Highly sensitive whiskers Round skulls Teeth and facial muscles for powerful bite Slender muscular bodies Strong, flexible forelimbs Retractile claws Usually solitary Obligate carnivores Ambush predators
What are three species of bovidae?
Ovis canadensis
Ovis aries
Oreamnos americanus
Differences between felidae and canidae tracks
felidae: no claw marks toes not even on top inside of toe is rounded front of heel has 2 lobes back of heel has 3 rounded lobes dog: claw marks even toes on top inside of toe is angular front of heel has one lobe back of heel has 2 lobes
What is the hyoid apparatus?
involved in purring. in small cats, it is bony so they can purr, but in big cats it is more flexible, so they can roar
Characteristics of lagomorphs
Four incisors on upper jaw
almost strictly herbivorous
incisor teeth grow continuously so must constantly chew on fibrous food
Characteristics of rabbits
powerful hind legs shorter forelegs tiny tail domesticated rabbits have lots of colours newborn rabbits are altricial live and breed in burrows colonial and feed together
Define altricial
requiring parental care
Characteristics of hares
long powerful back legs ears up to 20 cm some species turn white in winter solitary litters a hollow in ground with dense vegetation newborns are precocial
define precocial
being born fully furred and active
How to lagomorphs get maximum nutrition from their diet?
shred plants with incisors
grind material with molard
digestion in stomach and small intestine where nutrients absorbed
some food remains go to caecum
food mixed with bacteria yeasts etc. that can digest cellulose
micro organisms produce sugar (hindgut fermentation)
some faecal matter goes to colon and excreted as small dry pellets
up to eight hours after meal, caecum contents excreted from colon as cecotropes or caecal pellets
these are eaten by lagomorph to get remaining nutrients
What is a caecum?
a blind ended pouch in lagomorphs that has bacteria, yeasts etc that can digest cellulose
what is hindgut fermentation?
when micro-organisms make sugar in lagomorphs
What is a cecotrope/caecal pellet?
the soft moist pellet exreted from the caecum of lagomorphs
What percentage of mammal species are rodents?
40%
characteristics of rodents
single pair of continuously grwing incisors in upper and lower jaws
wear down incisors so they don’t pierce the skull
What is embryonic diapause?
delayed implantation of the zygote into the uterus
What are two orders that have embryonic diapause?
usidae and mustelidae
Why did embryonic diapause evolve?
enable birth during favourable season
linked with hibernation
enables wide ranging species to take advantage of rare encounters with mates
